40th Anniversary

Infineon Raceway will celebrate 40 years of historic racing action in the Sonoma Valley during the 2008 season.

Opened in 1968, then-Sears Point Raceway was constructed on 720 acres of property that was a working dairy farm in the early 1900s.  The facility hosted its first official event, an SCCA Enduro, on Dec. 1 of that year.

Since then, the facility has grown and expanded into one of the premier motor sports venues in the country, hosting 340 days of racing activity each year, including the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NHRA POWERade Drag Racing and the IndyCar® Series.  This season also marks NASCAR's 20^th consecutive visit to the Sonoma Valley.

The twists of the 12-turn road course and the lightning-quick quarter-mile drag strip have hosted all of the biggest names and some of the most historic moments in racing history, here are some of the highlights:

1970: Dan Gurney wins a 150-mile USAC IndyCar race with a field that included Mario Andretti, Mark Donahue and Al Unser.

1977: Paul Ritter wins the first AMA Superbike event in Sonoma on a Ducati.

1988: The raceway hosts the first NHRA-sanctioned drag race.  The winners were Joe Amato (Top Fuel), Mark Oswald (Funny Car) and Harry Scribner (Pro Stock).

1989: NASCAR makes its debut in the Sonoma Valley with Ricky Rudd taking the inaugural victory.

1995: The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is added to the track's schedule for three years. 

1996: The track is purchased by O. Bruton Smith and Speedway Motorsports, Inc.

2000: The raceway begins its four-year, $60 million Modernization Plan, which renovates and updates nearly all aspects of the facility.

2002: The facility announces that is has been renamed Infineon Raceway as part of a 10-year strategic partnership with Infineon Technologies.

2005: The IndyCar® Series returns to the Sonoma Valley after a 35-year hiatus.  Tony Kanaan claimed the inaugural victory and did push-ups in the Wine Country Winner's Circle.

2006: The Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series makes its debut at Infineon Raceway.  Auburn's Scott Pruett and teammate Luis Diaz took the checkered flag.

40th Anniversary Photo Gallery